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FRANCIS DEGEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR FRMING HAT-BRIMS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,065, dated April 17, 1847.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS DEGEN, of the city, county, and State of New York, hat manufacturer, have invented and made and applied to use certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Means for -Griving Shape to the Brims of Hats When Finishing Them, such improvements consistingin theadaptation and combination of known parts to use with each other and with parts improved by me to effect what is technically known as curling the brims of hats more easily, equally, and quicker than is usually done, for which improvements I seek Letters Patent of the United States, and that the said improvements are constructively, operatively, and substantially set forth and shown in the following description and in the drawing annexed to and making a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1, is a plan and Fig. 2, a side elevation of a machine for this purpose fitted with my improvements, as in place for use, the same letters and numbers, as marks of reference, applying to the like parts, in each of the figures. i a, is an iron stand, fitted to lie on a bench, and with aspace wherein to reoeive a heater, which, when placed in, will heat the surface piece c, which is made to the fashionable form, but as a shifting piece, to accommodate the change of form, according to the change of fashion, and to receive a changeable block, to it the interior of the given hat, and hold it in place, for operation. Upon the surface c, a piece of felt cloth, or other similar substance, is laid, to prevent the heat below acting too severely on the hat brim, and over the felt is a strong cloth cl, of hempen, flaXen, or cotton, material, out round, on the outer edge, so as to come to the outside of, and over the edge, of the hat brim e, a helical opening spring 1, is sewed on the rounded edge of the cloth d, with the bight of a cord, or string, m, through the spring, and passingtoward and over the edge, of the block Z, through a pair of guide pulleys 9, 9, and over a pair of leader pulleys, 10, 10, to a stirrup 11.

Upon the hat brim is a changeable curler, or former, f, so made, that its outer edge shall give the curl, and form, on the edge of the hat brim, the inner edge, toward each end, has notches 2, 2, led across it, to take chisel points 3, in the outer ends of a metal keeper piece g, made in a nearly semielliptical form, terminating in a` butt h, and

,joint l, on the block l; a slot in the butt h,

has a tightening screw 5, to the block -beneath, and on one side of the butt l1., a

slotted plate 6, incloses a groove in the butt shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in the groove, is a slide bolt 7, moved by a screw 8, going through the plate 6, so that the outer end of the bolt 7, falls into an open groove a, inthe projecting piece of the block Z, when the keeper piece g, is turned up, and thus retains that in place as shown by the vertical dotted lines, in Fig. 2, when the workman takes out one hat, and puts in another. v n

It will now be understood by this preparatory description of the parts, that when a hat is placed on the apparatus, to curl the edge of the brim, that the workman places a changeable curler piece f, of the proper shape, on the brim, and having adjusted its place, turns down the keeper piece g, so that the chisel points 3, take the notches 2, then turning down the screw 5, the parts are held in place, while Lthe workman, putting his foot on lthe stirrup 11, draws the cord m, and edge of the cloth d, over the edge of the hat brim` e, and draws that upward, and inward, over the curler f, the workman then, with his finger and a smoother, fixes the shape, as required, and releasing the cloth d, turns the finished portion around, as shown in the drawing, and finishes the opposite slide, to correspond. The expansive spring 1, as the stirrup 11, is released throws the kcloth d, Off the hat brim. y.

I do not claim to have invented the cloth d, and spring 1, and the accessory parts, because these have been before used, in France, nearly as I have made them; but in that count-ry, the cloth is placed beneath, so as to turn up over a shifting hollow bottom piece, heated by steam, which hollow bottom piece has to be of a different size, to fit each separate size of hat; whereas, by my arrangement, of a iiXed solid bottom piece, heated by a shifting heater beneath, and placing the cloth d,

above t-he bottom piece, made with a means v of putting on an adjustable crown block, and using a changeable metal rim curler, or former, one fixed bottom piece, and one cloth, Will enable a Workman to curl the brms, on all the ordinary and fashionable size of hats.

Therefore, my claim will berlimted, to The placing a changeable heater in the space ZJ, of the stand a, to act in conjunction With a curling cloth 0l, above the heating apparatus, n combination With the adjustable curler or former piece f, 

